Decolonization and Recolonization of Russia through Chechnya

• In Event: Decolonization in Eurasia: Revisiting the Unfinished Business of Empire

Abstract

In our paper, we examine a case of Chechnya’s recolonization that can be considered a beginning of Russian post-Soviet neo-imperialism. Chechnya represents a critical case study as the only republic within the Russian Federation that openly pursued secession following the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Moscow’s violent suppression of Chechen efforts not only underscores the resistance of Russian power structures to decolonization but also highlights the broader societal reluctance to engage with or even accept the concept.

Authors

• Yoshiko M. Herrera, U of Wisconsin-Madison

• Marat Iliyasov, College of the Holy Cross